


Harry Potter and the Strange Inheritance

by MaryLaveen



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Child Abuse, Creature Inheritance, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:53:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27202081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaryLaveen/pseuds/MaryLaveen
Summary: Like all wizards from ancient lines Harry Potter has creature blood in him. And like all those who have inheritances he goes through a painful transformation. But Harry Potter is not like all other wizards. His transformation isn't after his fifteenth birthday, instead it is triggered a few weeks before, when he and his cousin are attacked by dementors. Follow Harry Potter as he goes through the ridicule of the ministry, the increasing mental attacks courtesy of a particularly nasty dark lord and the usual bullying all while trying to sort out a new set of instincts that come from his strange inheritance.
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

This is my disclaimer. Harry Potter does not belong to me. The characters, the plot, none of it. It all belongs to J. K. Rowling. 

I am not the first to write a creature inheritance fic. I have never read one like this one, but if there is one out there I apologize. This comes from my imagination, though I have been inspired by the ideas of others I have read.

This will not completely follow cannon, but it will be close to the original story line, even if some things happen in different ways. 

A few warnings, I am a sporadic updater at best. I absolutely love the idea I have for this story but...

This will contain some Dumbledore bashing. Not that I think Dumbles is evil, just manipulative, and I have several characters who just aren't going to put up with it.

That brings up OC's. Really there will just be two. Brandon and Cythia. Neither exist in cannon, but I promise when they come into the story it will make sense.

Other warnings... I may make this wolfstar, I haven't decided yet. This is also a Hinny story. I personally ship it, and haven't seen a single creature fic that is Hinny. Also, Luna is going to be a much bigger character, because I love her. 

I think that's everything. Onward and upward everyone. 

Prologue

_ End of fourth year, the day before the train leaves to take them home, after the tournament. _

Harry was staring at his hands. He didn't want to be in the common room, he wanted to be in his dormitory, but Professor McGonagall had insisted that all the fourth years had to be at this meeting.

"I know you are all eager to forget school for the next several months, but you will pay attention now," McGonagall's voice was as stern as ever and all the students looked at her. 

"Better, now, many of you will already know this from your families, but it is my responsibility to make certain each and every one of you has the basic information, so that whether or not this affects you you will know how to behave in the coming year. I speak of inheritances. Who can tell me the basics of inheritances?" 

To no one's surprise Hermione's was the first hand in the air, what was surprising was that Neville's joined it not long after. 

"Mr. Longbottom?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Most, if not all of the old families have the blood of at least one type of magical creature, if not a mix of several," Neville said quietly. "This blood doesn't always mean that the witch or wizard will transform, but if certain conditions are met, and it depends on the creature what the conditions are, the witch or wizard will transform into their creature self between their fifteenth and sixteenth birthdays, though it usually happens during the summer."

"Very good Mr. Longbottom."

"Excuse me professor," Dean Thomas said.

"Yes Mr. Thomas."

"Why does it usually happen in the summer, I mean, that doesn't make sense."

"That is a very good question Mr. Thomas. It happens during the summer because of the rate of magical development. The magical development of most students is consistent, despite the differences in birthdays because students learn at the same time, and the same rate."

"So," Ron said, "you are saying some of us will go through creature inheritances this summer?"

"It is possible though unlikely that some of you will," McGonagall said. "Unlike magic, which can be possessed by anyone regardless of bloodlines, creature inheritances are based on bloodlines. Only four of you year even have the possibility of an inheritance, and as Mr. Longbottom said, for each creature there are specific circumstances that must be met the the creature to manifest. However, it is certain that some of your classmates, even if they are from different houses will go through an inheritance. As such you all need to know the basics so you can behave appropriately when you arrive next year. For this, you will each write me a two foot essay on the basics of inheritances."

Harry just looked at McGonagall.  _ Like that's going to happen,  _ Harry thought bitterly.  _ I can't even get my regular homework done. Not with my uncle locking away all my school stuff. Besides, what does a creature inheritance matter? Voldemort is back, and Cedric is dead.  _

**Well, not the best, mostly just infodump, but necessary.**


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Harry had wandered through the neighborhood for hours now, after that fiasco lying under the window of the Dursley's front room. He knew he would be in trouble when he went home, but well, he just felt so frustrated.  _ Keep your nose clean,  _ that's what Sirius kept telling him. But how he could keep it cleaner he didn't know. He hadn't done anything since he had left school. Including, unfortunately, his homework. That was what happened when all his school things were locked in the cupboard under the stairs. 

Harry was heading home however, after seeing Dudley headed that way. He wasn't sure if his uncle would follow through with his threat to lock him in the shed if Dudley got home before he did again, but he wasn't quite willing to risk it. He saw Dudley's gang up ahead but they all left, before he lost all his good sense and provoked them to fight him. To use magic to give those boys, who once gave him hell, a little of their own medicine. 

"Hey, Big D!" Harry called out, hurrying to catch up to his cousin.

Dudley turned."Oh," he grunted. "It's you." 

"How long have you been 'Big D' then?" said Harry. 

"Shut it," snarled Dudley, turning away again. 

"Cool name," said Harry, grinning and falling into step beside his cousin. "But you'll always be Ickle Diddykins to me." 

"I said, SHUT IT!" said Dudley, whose ham-like hands had curled into fists. 

"Don't the boys know that's what your mum calls you?" 

"Shut your face." 

"You don't tell her to shut her face. What about 'popkin' and 'Dinky Diddydums,' can I use them then?" 

Dudley said nothing. The effort of keeping himself from hitting Harry seemed to be demanding all his self-control. 

"So who've you been beating up tonight?" Harry asked, his grin fading. "Another ten-year-old? I know you did Mark Evans two nights ago —"

"He was asking for it," snarled Dudley. 

"Oh yeah?" 

"He cheeked me."

"Yeah? Did he say you look like a pig that's been taught to walk on its hind legs? 'Cause that's not cheek, Dud, that's true . . ." 

A muscle was twitching in Dudley's jaw. It gave Harry enormous satisfaction to know how furious he was making Dudley; he felt as though he was siphoning off his own frustration into his cousin, the only outlet he had.

They turned right down the narrow alleyway where Harry had first seen Sirius and which formed a shortcut between Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk. It was empty and much darker than the streets it linked because there were no street lamps. Their footsteps were muffled between garage walls on one side and a high fence on the other. 

"Think you're a big man carrying that thing, don't you?" Dudley said after a few seconds. 

"What thing?" 

"That — that thing you're hiding." 

Harry grinned again."Not as stupid as you look, are you, Dud? But I s'pose if you were, you wouldn't be able to walk and talk at the same time. . . ." Harry pulled out his wand. He saw Dudley look sideways at it. 

"You're not allowed," Dudley said at once. "I know you're not.You'd get expelled from that freak school you go to." 

"How d'you know they haven't changed the rules, Big D?" 

"They haven't," said Dudley, though he didn't sound completely convinced. Harry laughed softly. 

"You haven't got the guts to take me on without that thing, have you?" Dudley snarled. 

"Whereas you just need four mates behind you before you can beat up a ten-year-old. You know that boxing title you keep banging on about? How old was your opponent? Seven? Eight?" 

"He was sixteen for your information," snarled Dudley, "and he was out cold for twenty minutes after I'd finished with him and he was twice as heavy as you. You just wait till I tell Dad you had that thing out —" 

"Running to Daddy now, are you? Is his ickle boxing champ frightened of nasty Harry's wand?" 

"Not this brave at night, are you?" sneered Dudley. 

"This is night, Diddykins. That's what we call it when it goes all dark like this."

"I mean when you're in bed!" Dudley snarled.He had stopped walking. Harry stopped too, staring at his cousin.From the little he could see of Dudley's large face, he was wearing a strangely triumphant look. 

"What d'you mean, I'm not brave in bed?" said Harry, completely nonplussed. "What — am I supposed to be frightened of pillows or something?"

"I heard you last night," said Dudley breathlessly. "Talking in your sleep. Moaning." 

"What d'you mean?" Harry said again, but there was a cold, plunging sensation in his stomach. He had revisited the graveyard last night in his dreams.

Dudley gave a harsh bark of laughter then adopted a high-pitched, whimpering voice. "'Don't kill Cedric! Don't kill Cedric!' Who's Cedric — your boyfriend?"

"I — you're lying —" said Harry automatically. But his mouth had gone dry. He knew Dudley wasn't lying — how else would he know about Cedric? 

"'Dad! Help me, Dad! He's going to kill me, Dad! Boo-hoo!'" 

"Shut up," said Harry quietly. "Shut up, Dudley, I'm warning you!" 

"'Come and help me, Dad! Mum, come and help me! He's killed Cedric! Dad, help me! He's going to —' Don't you point that thing at me!" Dudley backed into the alley wall. Harry was pointing the wand directly at Dudley's heart. Harry could feel fourteen years' hatred ofDudley pounding in his veins — what wouldn't he give to strike now, to jinx Dudley so thoroughly he'd have to crawl home like an insect, struck dumb, sprouting feelers —

"Don't ever talk about that again," Harry snarled. "D'you understand me?"

"Point that thing somewhere else!" 

"I said, do you understand me?" 

"Point it somewhere else!" 

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?""GET THAT THING AWAY FROM —"Dudley gave an odd, shuddering gasp, as though he had been doused in icy water. 

Something had happened to the night. The star-strewn indigo sky was suddenly pitch-black and lightless — the stars, the moon, themisty streetlamps at either end of the alley had vanished. The distant grumble of cars and the whisper of trees had gone. The balmy evening was suddenly piercingly, bitingly cold. They were surrounded by total, impenetrable, silent darkness, as though some giant hand had dropped a thick, icy mantle over the entire alleyway, blinding them.For a split second Harry thought he had done magic without meaning to, despite the fact that he'd been resisting as hard as he could — then his reason caught up with his senses — he didn't have the power to turn off the stars. He turned his head this way and that,trying to see something, but the darkness pressed on his eyes like a weightless veil. 

Dudley's terrified voice broke in Harry's ear."W-what are you d-doing? St-stop it!" 

"I'm not doing anything! Shut up and don't move!" 

"I c-can't see! I've g-gone blind! I —" 

"I said shut up!"Harry stood stock-still, turning his sightless eyes left and right. The cold was so intense that he was shivering all over; goosebumps had erupted up his arms, and the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up — he opened his eyes to their fullest extent, staring blankly around, unseeing . . .It was impossible. . . . They couldn't be here. . . . Not in Little Whinging . . . He strained his ears. . . . He would hear them before he saw them. . . . 

"I'll t-tell Dad!" Dudley whimpered. "W-where are you? What are you d-do — ?" 

"Will you shut up?" Harry hissed, "I'm trying to lis —"But he fell silent. He had heard just the thing he had been dreading. There was something in the alleyway apart from themselves, something that was drawing long, hoarse, rattling breaths. Harry felt a horrible jolt of dread as he stood trembling in the freezing air.

"C-cut it out! Stop doing it! I'll h-hit you, I swear I will!"

"Dudley, shut —"

WHAM!A fist made contact with the side of Harry's head, lifting Harry off his feet. Small white lights popped in front of Harry's eyes; for the second time in an hour he felt as though his head had been cleaved in two; next moment he had landed hard on the ground, and his wand had flown out of his hand.

"You moron, Dudley!" Harry yelled, his eyes watering with pain, as he scrambled to his hands and knees, now feeling around frantically in the blackness. He heard Dudley blundering away, hitting the alley fence, stumbling.

"DUDLEY, COME BACK! YOU'RE RUNNING RIGHT ATIT!"There was a horrible squealing yell, and Dudley's footsteps stopped.At the same moment, Harry felt a creeping chill behind him that could mean only one thing. There was more than one.

"DUDLEY, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! WHATEVER YOU DO, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! Wand!" Harry muttered frantically, his hands flying over the ground like spiders. "Where's —wand — come on — Lumos!" He said the spell automatically, desperate for light to help him in his search, but as he expected nothing happened. 

"Lumos," he cried again, this time fainter, he could hear soft screams in his mind, his mother's screams. 

"Expecto Patronum, expecto patronum," he rasped out desperately, but of course that did no more than the Lumos had. The screams were louder now,  _ Not Harry, please not Harry.  _ Harry continued to feel at the ground, desperate for his wand. He heard a rattling breath, and knew that he had moments, heartbeats, before he and Dudley lost their souls. 

And then pain struck. It wasn't anything like the cold desperation he had been feeling a moment before. It was fire roaring through his veins. It almost felt like the cruciatus, but there was something cleaner about it, there was no hatred. Harry screamed, his voice ringing through the alley. 

As the pain wracked his body he felt something different. A loosening of the barrier between his body and his magic. He could feel his core in a way he never had before. Reaching blindly Harry grabbed that power and with the last of his voice screamed "Expecto Patronum."

This time Harry knew it would work. Even as his mind began to shut down from the pain and exhaustion that came from draining his magic he saw Prongs take shape. The great stag erupted from Harry's chest and charged the Dementors. In his fading view though Harry saw something odd. Instead of Prongs being entirely made of the silver substance he had seen so many times in his third year, it looked as if the beast was wreathed in fire and shadows. Whatever the reason, the patronus drove the dementors off. 

Harry watched them flee in satisfaction, even as his head hit the pavement and his vision went black. 

  
  


**So, you can probably tell, if you are as great a fan of the books as I am, that I used quite a bit of material from the actual book in this chapter. Everything from "Hey big D" to "Lumos" is straight from the books. I won't do this often, and when I do I will always give credit where it is due. In this instance I knew it would be best to just show where my fanfic departs from the cannon, and to give the background. Plus J.K. Rowling's writing is amazing.**

**So, there is chapter one, Harry goes through his inheritance, but doesn't know anything about it, plus he did a number on his magical core. Dudley got much more hurt than in cannon, Harry's passed out, and the Ministry is still out for his blood.**


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Petunia's POV:

Petunia's day had been quite lovely. Well except for that fiasco when she and Vernon had been watching the news. Honestly what that boy was thinking she would never understand. Hiding under the window, making that cracking noise she knew came from magic, after the number of times she heard it from Lily as she popped around the house her last year living at home. And listening to the news. Why he cared about the news was a mystery neither she nor Vernon could puzzle out. Of course the day she could understand that type was the day she abandoned everything that made her normal, so she wasn't too upset over her lack of understanding.

She had spent the past few hours with Vernon, doing their normal evening things. Watching the news, watching the telly, having supper, cleaning up after supper and then watching more telly. She was quite looking forward to when her Dudders got home. He always had such interesting things to say after tea with his friends, and of course she was very pleased that he had such good friends that he could spend every day having tea with one of them. She ignored the warning signs about what Dudley did with his friends, she simply didn't want to see the blood on some of his shirt sleeves, and the way little children ducked out of his sight at every opportunity. 

_ Yes it had been a good day,  _ Petunia thought as she waited for Dudley to come home. She snuggled slightly closer to her husband on the couch.

Their telly was interrupted by a loud ringing noise.

Petunia sat up sharply. "Who would be ringing the bell at this hour?" she asked her husband. Before either of them could move it rang again, and then a third time. 

Pulling open the door sharply to see who could be so rude Petunia saw old Mrs. Figg standing on the front steps. Before Petunia could say anything however Mrs. Figg looked her up and down with a sharpness Petunia hadn't known the old woman possessed.

"You're boys are at my place, they are both quite ill, both of you had best come with me." Despite her voice being the same quavery old woman's voice, there was an unusual note of command in it. 

"What do you mean our boys are at your place and injured?" Vernon demanded. Mrs. Figg turned that surprising gaze on him.

"What about that was unclear, Mr. Dursley?"

"Why would Dudley come to your house if he was injured?" Vernon demanded.

"He and Harry were attacked by dementors a few minutes ago," Petunia gasped, Dementors, she had hoped to never hear of them again, what that horrid Snape boy had said about them was truly dreadful. 

"Harry protected both of them, but nearly killed himself doing so. They were both unconscious in the alley. I contacted Dumbledore and he, Professor McGonagall and the nurse at Hogwarts all came as quickly as they could. They managed to get both boys into the house and Madam Pomfrey is treating them as we speak." 

Vernon looked like a fish, understanding only about a third of what Mrs. Figg had said, but Petunia was already moving. She grabbed her husband's arm and began to drag him towards Mrs. Figg's house. 

"How do you know about all of this Arabella?" Petunia hissed while they walked.

"I'm a squib, you know what that is?"

"Yes Lily explained to my parents years ago and I overheard."

"Well I don't," Vernon said, conscious enough of the surroundings to keep his voice low.

"A squib," Petunia said, "is someone born to a magical family, but has no magic themselves, or they can't access their magic or something. Lily kept going on about magic cores, and blockages, and bloodlines, and I didn't understand much of it."

"And dementors?" Vernon asked.

"A type of magical creature," Mrs. Figg replied, she looked around before hurriedly crossing the street. "A particularly nasty type of creature. You are lucky your son had Harry with him or he would be worse than dead."

"And what was one of the guards of Azkaban doing here?" Petunia hissed as they crossed Mrs. Figg's front garden.

"That is a question for Dumbledore, not me," Mrs. Figg said, and she pulled open the front door. 

The three of them hurried inside. In the front room Petunia saw three people, three strange people. One was an old man, with a long white beard and long white hair. He wore robes of deep blue and had half moon glasses over eyes that seemed to penetrate to her very soul. The other two were women. Both looked to be on the older end of their middle years. One looked to be incredibly stern, though Petunia could see worry on her face, and the other seemed to be a motherly sort of woman. Unlike the other two, she didn't wear robes but an old fashioned nurses uniform. On the couches lay the two boys. 

Dudley lay, half of his bulk on the couch half off. He was completely still, and it looked as if he were dead. In contrast Harry lay curled into a ball on the other couch, rocking back and forth whimpering slightly. 

Taking a closer look at her nephew Petunia let out a little shriek. He had a tail, a tail and cat ears. 

The strict looking woman looked them over with a disdainful expression Petunia normally saw in the mirror.

"Vernon and Petunia Dursley?" The woman's voice held the faintest trace of a Scottish brogue. 

"Yes," Vernon growled.

"What did Arabella tell you?" the Scotswoman asked. As she said this the other woman, the one in the nurses uniform moved from putting something into Dudley's mouth over to Harry. She began to wave her wand over the boy, muttering to herself. 

"Just that they were attacked by dementors and that Harry defended them," Petunia said as she hurried over to Dudley's side, ignoring her now even more freakish nephew.

"Defended," the woman in the nurses uniform exclaimed, "Oh, he defended them alright, but the fool boy didn't use his wand, no he went and used the energy of his transformation to cast a patronus. Fool should have died on the spot. It's going to be everything I can do to keep his own magic core from destroying him. Messing with an inheritance like that."

"Poppy, if he had his wand on him I'm sure he would have used it," the Scotswoman said, though not very patiently.

"And why didn't he have his wand on him?" the nurse replied tartly.

"You will be able to ask him when he wakes up," the old man said. 

Petunia had been trying to tune out the conversation, focusing instead on her unconscious son. 

"What's wrong with him?" she asked the room at large. 

"He was moments away from being Kissed by a Dementor," the old man said.

Petunia looked up at the man, looked him up and down, sneered and said, "And what were dementors doing here of all places?"

Vernon looked over at her and she could see the amazement written plainly on his face. He wasn't really keeping up with things. The poor man had never had to deal with so many of these freaks at once before, and simply didn't know how to handle it, but she was quite happy to keep doing so. She'd certainly had enough practice, first with that horrible Snape boy who first stole her sister, then with Potter and his gang of ruffians. 

The Scotswoman gave a small chuckle, a smile still on her face as she said, "It's a rare sight to see anyone stand up to him like that, I can think of only a handful who have ever done so. Your sister being at the top of that list."

"I," Petunia said in her iciest tones, looking the woman dead in the eye, "am nothing like my sister." 

The woman's smile fell away as she looked between Petunia, still kneeling next to Dudley, and Harry, curled up in a ball on the other side of the room.

"No," the woman agreed, "you aren't."

The old man cut in. "Dementors were here after Harry most likely. I'm not surprised that Voldemort has recruited them."

Vernon made a spluttering sound, but something else had caught Petunia's attention. 

"Voldemort is back?" 

"Yes." Petunia waited for the old man to explain, last she'd heard Voldemort had died killing her little sister but nothing was forthcoming. She remembered the fear her sister had of that psycho, saying that he was the Hitler of the wizarding world, out to get anyone related to muggles. 

When the old man said nothing, she turned back to her son, "What happens now?"

The woman in the nurses uniform, Poppy, answered. "He," she said, gesturing at Dudley, "will be fine after a nights sleep. Best if you give him a large dose of chocolate tomorrow, but he should have no lasting effects, other than nightmares on occasion. Harry... Harry will be coming with us for the rest of the summer. He's going to need constant attention for at least a week, and even then it will be touchy for a few days."

"He will be going with you permanently," Vernon cut in, his face now a rather alarming shade of violet. "He nearly got my son killed."

"Far worse than killed," the Scotswoman said, but she cut off when the old man gave her a stern look.

"He also only survived because Harry risked his life to save him. And you can't get rid of him, you sealed a magical contract by taking him in that night all those years ago."

Petunia only nodded resignedly before returning to a study of her own son. 


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

**Unless I specify it's Harry's POV.**

Harry woke up in a dark room. He wondered briefly where he was, before his memory caught up to him. Dementors, Dudley. He most certainly hated his cousin, but  _ no one _ deserved that. In his panic he tried to sit up and groaned instead. He felt as though he had been subjected to the cruciatus. That was the only other time his entire body had felt so utterly worn out. 

"Don't try to move Mr. Potter." Harry looked over, but couldn't make out who was speaking in the dark room, though the voice was familiar. Before he could ask, the lights switched on and Harry saw that it was Madam Pomfrey. 

"Where am I?" Harry asked, not recognizing the room, even with the lights on.

"You are at the Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix."

"The what?"

"The Order of the Phoenix is a covert group of people, led by Professor Dumbledore, who work against You-Know-Who."

"But, where is headquarters?" Harry asked, putting the idea of a secret group in the back of his mind for the moment, he would think about that when he knew what was going on.

"This place is protected under the Fidelius Charm, with Professor Dumbledore as the secret keeper. You are familiar with the Fidelius Charm?" Madam Pomfrey asked, when Harry nodded she continued, "as such I can't tell you where we are."

"Can you tell me anything?" Harry asked. 

"This home is owned by your Godfather, he agreed to let the Order use it because of all the protective enchantments already in place."

"This is Sirius' home?"

"Indeed," Madam Pomfrey said, a small frown on her face.

"Why am I here?" Harry asked, trying to settle more comfortably on the bed, but with the way his body ached it seemed to be futile. 

"You, Mr. Potter, went through a creature inheritance, not particularly surprising, given your bloodline."

"So, I'm hurting because of my inheritance?"

"In part," Madam Pomfrey agreed, "but the much bigger part is what happened as your body experienced it's Change."

"What happened..." Harry's eyes opened wide, "the dementors, Dudley." He had been thinking of Dudley when he woke but seeing Madam Pomfrey had put everything else out of his head.

"Your cousin is fine Mr. Potter, you saved his life, but nearly killed yourself doing so."

"I don't understand," Harry said. "I remember my patronus, but I didn't have my wand."

"Precisely Mr. Potter." The look of confusion on Harry's face must have been clear because she continued. "When a witch or wizard goes through the Change, the moment they come into their inheritance, the magic core is in a state of flux. Normally there is a barrier between the wizard and their core, to keep the wizard from being burned alive by his own magic, but in the moment of Change that barrier is down. You used the moment of Change to fuel a patronus. The problem is the transformation itself is draining, taking most of the magic the wizard has, a patronus charm is also a magic intensive spell. Doing both at once, without a wand, nearly killed you. You have been on the edge of magical burn out for nearly a week. It has been all I could do to keep you alive."

"A week?" Harry asked numbly. He'd nearly killed himself with that patronus. But it's not like he had any choice. If he hadn't cast it he would have been worse then dead. Much worse.

"Yes. We brought you to Headquarters as soon as it was safe to move you."

"I..." Harry trailed off, "So what happens now?"

"Now, I go speak with your family about your inheritance, so they can be prepared for the changes in you, physically, magically, and in your temperament. I think it would be wise for you to listen, so I will set up a spell that will allow you to see and hear the conversation, though none on the other side will see or hear you."

"You don't need to tell the Dursleys, they won't care," Harry said tiredly.

"Ah, I should have been clearer. I most certainly did not mean the Dursleys, I meant your real family. All those who have been anxiously waiting for you to wake up, taking turns sitting in your room watching you, be sure you recover, the Weasleys, Miss Granger, Lord Black, Mr. Lupin, Professor McGonagall, Professor Dumbledore."

"Oh," Harry said. He didn't know what else to say. He knew he considered all of them his family far more than he did the Dursleys, but it was strange hearing someone else agree with him. 

She ran her wand over her once more, then left, reminding him that he would be able to hear and see everything, but they wouldn't b able to hear or see him, so he mustn't expect an answer.

It was nearly ten minutes before Harry saw what she meant. At the foot of his bed a screen appeared, reminding Harry of a tele screen. He saw what must have been the kitchen. Everyone was sitting around a large wooden table. Dumbledore sat at the head of the table, with Molly, Arthur, the twins, and Ginny to his left. Professor McGonagal sat to his right with Remus next to her. Sirius was next to Remus followed by Ron and Hermione. Madam Pomfrey stood across from Dumbledore and all eyes were focused on her. 

"Thank you all for taking the time to listen to this," Madam Pomfrey began. "Normally I wouldn't be the one to do this, but well... The point of this meeting is for me to explain some of what I know about Harry's inheritance." There was stillness throughout the room.

"Madam," Hermione said, "not that I am ever one to turn down knowledge, but you made this meeting sound like it was life or death."

"It is not quite life or death, but it is very important that you all know what to expect for your sake as well as Mr. Potters. Now if no one has any other questions I would ask that you wait until I've explained everything before speaking as it will be easier to explain that way." 

When no one spoke she continued, "Mr. Potter in particular is a challenging case because he is a Hybrid." Hermione gasped. Harry wasn't surprised that she knew what that was, and guessed that the adults already knew by their lack of surprise. 

"Mr. Potter has received two full inheritances," Hermione gasped again, apparently even with the knowledge that he was a Hybrid she hadn't expected that for some reason. "The first is quite common. He is a ShadowElf. ShadowElves are very powerful, and dangerous to cross. They are quite solitary creatures, preferring the company of only those close to them. They are humanoid creatures, and as such share most instincts with humans. If he were simply a ShadowElf I wouldn't have even bothered to have this talk with you. He'd be a bit touchy until his magic settled, but he'll be acting like his normal self in no time. The complications come with his other inheritance."

Harry felt his breath catch in his throat. What sort of problems could she be talking about?

"Mr. Potter is also a FireCat." Harry heard several gasps this time, but wasn't sure who they came from, and no one said anything. 

"Very little is known about FireCats. What we do know for certain is this, they are cousins to the phoenixes and are  _ very  _ powerful, with strong ties to the element of fire, as is apparent in the name. Like their cousins they do have some healing power, but unlike the phoenixes their power is not over physical maladies, but maladies of the mind. In fact rumor suggests that many of their strongest talents lay in the Mind Arts." Harry briefly wondered what the Mind Arts were. "There is one other thing that is known about them, one which will be very important to all of you.

"Like ShadowElves, FireCats are known for having small, very tight knit groups. However, the FireCat within Harry doesn't trust you. None of you. The wizard in him, even the ShadowElf in his does, but the FireCat does not, can not. It wants to, because it recognizes that you are his pride, but the FireCat instincts will demand you be tested. This is perfectly natural, all FireCats do it. Harry will ask you a question, or a series of questions about something that is troubling to him about you. You must answer truthfully, even if the truth paints you in an unflattering light. FireCats can sense lies. They can and do forgive mistakes, even failure, but not lies. If you lie, Harry will never be able to trust you again, even if he wants to. I would also recommend not hesitating too long as there is the possibility that it will be taken as a lie. You will know when you are being tested, the records are very clear on that. Once you have passed your test his magic will draw you in, embrace you as one of his pride."

"There is a good possibility that there will be other things demanded by his instincts, unfortunately so little is known about FireCats so I can't give you a definite answer, and I'm not sure how the FireCat instincts will mix with the ShadowElf ones. It is almost unheard of to have a FireCat Hybrid. So you must be patient with him. If this is confusing for you, think of him. He now has a very different body, with two new sets of instincts raging through him and two additions to his magical core." 

As soon as she was finished speaking the screen shut off. Harry wished she had left if up for the conversation he was sure was taking place below his feet, but he was soon caught up in thinking about what he had heard. 

The idea of testing his friends was horrifying. He did trust them, they had more than earned it, but even as he thought that he felt the seeds of misgivings. There were questions they needed to answer, everyone at that table had done some things he needed explanations about. He supposed that was what Madam Pomfrey had been talking about. 

He meant to stay up and ask her more questions when she returned, like why she had included Professor McGonagal in the meeting, and more particulars about testing his friends, but he was soon asleep once more. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know in canon Madam Pomfrey isn't a member of the Order, but it's a small change, one I think is plausible, besides it's really important for her to be there. 


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

When Harry woke up again the room was light, he could feel the sunlight streaming through the windows onto his now sensitive skin. He opened his eyes and looked around. Now that it was light he could make out the room. It had a horrible shade of green on the walls, and everything about it seemed...grimy. 

As he looked around the room he saw Mrs. Weasley sitting in the corner knitting. 

"Hello dear," she said when their eyes met. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm..." Well he certainly felt better than the last time he woke up, but he still didn't feel good. Everything ached, his head worst of all. "Fine."

A small frown flashed across her face, obviously she didn't believe him, not that he blamed her. He was usually much better at that particular lie. She hummed, and turned back to her knitting. Harry lay there fighting with himself. He needed to ask her something, but he didn't want to. He felt like questioning her would be a betrayal, and after everything she had done for him he couldn't bear that thought.

Finally, when he couldn't stand it any more he stammered, "Mrs...Mrs. Weasley can I ask you something?"

As soon as he spoke a tension filled the air. I didn't come from awkwardness, no it felt more like anticipation. The room seemed to vibrate with energy.

"Of course dear," Mrs. Weasley said, looking him straight in the eyes, "you can ask me anything, anytime." Harry swallowed hard.

"Why did you ask what platform the Hogwarts express leaves from that first year? That's what drew me to you, and I..." Harry trailed off. 

Mrs. Weasley blinked in apparent surprise. Evidently that was not what she'd been expecting.

"Because of you dear." Harry stiffened and she gave him a gentle smile. "I saw you turn our way when Percy mentioned muggles. You were clearly a wizard, you had Hedwig with you and I haven't heard of any muggles who keep owls, and just as clearly you were alone. I debated just asking if you needed help, but I didn't want to frighten you. I asked about the platform to confirm for you that we were indeed a family of wizards. When you didn't ask straight away I thought I would have to reach out to you after all, but then you came and asked me for directions. I didn't know who you are, I just knew you needed help." 

"Oh," Harry said, and felt relief well up in him. She was telling the truth, he was certain of that. He found himself breathing easier; for a moment he had thought... "Mrs. Weasley, why did you go the muggle way to the station in the first place?"

She smiled, this time it seemed as if she were smiling to herself. "My mother started the tradition. She would always look out for muggleborns who needed help. I met some really interesting people that way when I was in school. When I had children I decided to continue the tradition. Arthur never minded, another excuse to see muggle things. 

"That's how I was able to pick you out so easily when you first turned our way, I was looking for someone who needed help. I love the tradition and hope my children follow it with their own someday, though it does make getting to the train a bit tricky every year."

Harry relaxed entirely. He had been afraid she had been set up there to try to get to him because of his fame. Silly now that he thought about it, that seemed to be an extraordinary measure to take just to get close to him. That was his last thought before returning to sleeps embrace. 

When Harry woke next he felt like he had when he last woke. Still worn out, but not in so much pain. It was more a consistent ache throughout his entire body. He let out a light groan and shifted, trying to sit up. 

"Pup," Sirius said, moving over to him and helping him sit up the rest of the way. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit sore," Harry admitted. "How are you? What have you been up to? I haven't seen you since..." Harry trailed off at the memory of that night. He hadn't thought about it since the dementor attack. Every moment waking and sleeping before that had been consumed with memories of the graveyard, and Cedric, and now it all crashed into him again. 

"I'm fine," Sirius said, not meeting Harry's eyes and he smoothed the covers. "I've just been here trying to make this place livable for the Order of the Phoenix."

"What is the Order of the Phoenix?" Harry asked. Madam Pomfrey had mentioned it too. That this house, Sirius' house, was the headquarters.

" It's a group of people dedicated to fighting Voldemort, led by Dumbledore. We acted as the main resistance during the last war, and with the way the ministry has been acting we are the only ones fighting now." 

"And where are we?" Harry asked looking around again at the dinghy greenish room.

"Ah, well this is my parents place."

"Your..." 

"Turns out they died while I was stuck in Azkaban. With my idiot of a brother having been killed after trying to leave the death eaters I inherited everything. Including this place. It has tons of protective enchantments on it, from generations of paranoid Black's living here, and with what Dumbledore's added this is now one of the most secure locations in the UK."

"Your brother was a death eater?" Harry asked, looking at his godfathers slumped form sitting on the end of the bed.

"Oh yes, my perfect little brother, could do no wrong, he joined up when he was sixteen. My parents were so proud. But he got cold feet, tried to back out. And well, once you're in, you're in for life. So he was killed."

"I'm sorry." Sirius looked up at that.

"Don't be. I warned him, told him not to do it, but he didn't listen, it's his own damn fault."

"Still," Harry said. A silence fell over the room. They both sat there looking at their hands and thinking of the family that should have been there. 

The silence didn't last long however. Within a few minutes a magical buzz began to fill the air. The vibrations in the room grew until, unable to resist any longer Harry spoke.

"Sirius," Harry faltered. He knew what he needed to ask, but how to go about it. Sirius turned from studying his own hands to look Harry in the eye.

"Why?" Harry finally said.

"Why what pup?" Sirius asked. A new tone entered the vibrations in the magic.

"Why did you go after Pettigrew? Why did you leave me?"

There was a long pause before Sirius let out a tired breath running his hands through his long tangled hair.

"It's... I... I've always been hot-headed Harry. It's one of by greatest strengths, I'm able to jump into motion at a moments notice, but it's also caused me more problems in my life than anything else. That night, that night I had gone to check on Peter. He had been distant lately, avoiding us, and I was worried about him. His mother was ill, and I thought that he had withdrawn because of that. But it had been months. That day I decided to confront him about it. With Remus gone so much doing work for the Order and James locked up in your home for his own protection I needed some comfort from my last brother. So I went to his place with the intention of knocking some sense into him and getting roaring drunk. I took several bottles of firewhisky and planned on telling him that he didn't have to struggle alone, and that we were all there for him. The usual things. It's what the four of us always did for each other.

"When I got to his place I felt that something was wrong. I have spent enough time around dark magic to know the feel it leaves on a place. Peter wasn't there, and with the feel of dark magic I panicked. I raced over to your parents place. I thought Peter had been captured and they were trying to get the information out of him. I was just going to check on your family, then I was going to save him. But when I got there...

"The magic that failed to kill you tore your house apart Harry. Most of the house had collapsed, parts of it were on fire, others were leaking dark magic. It was one of the worst things I have ever seen. I raced into the house, and I stumbled across your dad. I literally stumbled across the body of my best friend, my brother. When I saw him, everything in me just shut down, and I froze, just for a moment. When the moment passed I raced up the stairs and I saw your mother's body and Hagrid's large form. He was bent over, just picking you up. He turned around and saw me and quickly assured me you were still alive. He tried to comfort me, telling me how brave James and Lily had been, but I didn't really hear him. 

"I held out my arms, asking for you, but he refused. He said he had orders to take you to Dumbledore. I tried to protest, saying I was your godfather, but my heart wasn't in it. I was in shock, Harry. I truly did want to take you, I just wasn't thinking clearly." Sirius stopped and looked at Harry again, his eyes pleading with him to understand. When Harry nodded Sirius continued.

"I knew you would be safe with Dumbledore, at Hogwarts, so I gave Hagrid my motorbike. I was afraid you would be caught on the way there, and no one would think to look for Hagrid in the sky. I could get it back when I picked you up from Hogwarts. I honestly had no idea you were going to your aunt and uncles. If I had known I would have insisted on taking you, I'd met them before and wouldn't wish them on anyone, but I assumed you were going to Hogwarts.

"I apparated to Peter's house. I didn't blame him not then, I knew how hard to resist dark magic could be. I was just determined to rescue him before I lost another brother, if it wasn't already too late. 

"When I got to his house I cast spells trying to determine the magical signature of who had been casting the dark magic. I didn't find any signature but his, so I thought they had used a concealing spell. I did everything I could think of, trying to uncover it. But all my spells and diagnostics came back the same. The only one besides me who had recently cast magic in the house was Peter. That's when I understood. 

"I raced out of his house determined to find him and kill him for betraying us. And well, you know the rest..." Sirius trailed off awkwardly.

Another silence filled the room, Sirius longed to ask if Harry forgave him, but by the time he worked up the nerve Harry was asleep once more. 

As Harry awoke he felt a flash of irritation. 

"Why is it that I fall asleep as soon as I get my answers? I would like to ask more questions, but no I just fall asleep," Harry grumbled as he reached for his glasses. Apparently his inheritance hadn't fixed his eyes.

"Well," a familiar voice answered, "If by answered you mean you've been testing people, then you would be falling asleep because you use magic, and with your core still drained any magic use forces you back to sleep to recharge."

Harry shoved the glasses onto his face and smiled widely. 

"Hermione," he said. Then he saw a flash of red from behind the bushy hair of his friend. 

"Ron." Ron it appeared had shot up several inches since Harry had seen him last. 

Hermione threw herself forward and gripped in a tight hug. "Oh, Harry. We've been so worried. First with you trapped with those awful people and not getting any information, and us not being able to tell you anything because Dumbledore made us swear we wouldn't, then your inheritance coming in early, which is dangerous enough, especially with a full creature inheritance, let alone a full dual Hybrid inheritance. And you doing magic on top of it. When they brought you here, I was so afraid you were going to die, you were so pale."

Harry awkwardly patted her on the back as he tried to decipher the words pouring out of her mouth. When she finally pulled back and stopped talking Ron clapped Harry on the shoulder and said, "Good to see you mate."

"I've missed both of you," Harry said, trying to quash the anger he had been feeling toward them all summer. Them and their vague letters and warnings. But, well, he  _ had _ missed them. 

"Oh Harry," Hermione cried, and threw herself at him again. 

"What have you been up to? Your letters made you sound busy."

"Cleaning," Ron said with a grimace. 

"Cleaning?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, this place is trashed. It's been empty for years, except for a loon of a house elf," Ron said.

"Don't call Kreacher names Ronald," Hermione said. 

"Hermione is still on about spew," Ron said, "keeps going on about how we have to be nice to Kreacher, but he's the creepiest thing I ever saw. I'm telling you mate, it's not about him being a house elf, it's about his crazy ass muttering about blood traitors and mudbloods and who knows what else."

"He's been alone for too long Ronald, that's all, besides Dumbledore said we should be kind to him," Hermione said, sounding as if this were an old argument between them.

Ron just rolled his eyes. Harry had to resist the urge to break out in a grin. Them and their arguing. Sometimes he thought it was all they ever did. He wondered if this was the year they would stop dancing around and just admit they like each other. It had been close after the yule ball, but neither of them had taken the leap. 

In the silence that followed Hermione returned to her seat, and was soon scratching away at a piece of parchment the way she had been before he woke, and Ron returned to his quidditch magazine. 

Harry laid back down and closed his eyes, thinking about what Sirius had told him. It made sense, now that he had explained it, and he couldn't really blame Sirius for being worried about his brother, especially if Sirius thought Harry would be at Hogwarts. He was still mad about ending up at the Dursleys, but that wasn't really Sirius' fault. 

Opening his eyes again, he saw Hermione frowning at the parchment, and biting her lower lip, a sure sign she was thinking hard. Harry remembered how angry he had been at them all summer, not writing him anything of value, but now that he saw them it seemed to have faded. Being out of the Dursley's had to be part of it, and he suspected that his inheritance had something to do with it as well. It just seemed pointless to be mad at them for it when so much had happened. 

Once again a tension began to fill the air. It had an almost rhythmic quality to it as it brushed his skin. It felt hot and fluid, the magic filling the air. Ron and Hermione both looked at him as it grew, but neither spoke. 

"Hermione," Harry said, looking her straight in the eyes, "why did you have McGonagall take my firebolt in third year?"

Without so much as blinking Hermione said, "Because I thought it was from Sirius Black. I was afraid if you got on it you would die. Your life meant more to me that a stupid broomstick, even more than our friendship. I could handle you being mad at me, but I could not handle you dying."

Harry nodded, in retrospect he could see where she was coming from. If Sirius had been trying to kill him it would have been a smart way to go about it. She still could have talked to him about it beforehand but, she had been young.

"Ron, why did you sit next to me on the train before first year? There's no way every other compartment was actually full." Harry whipped his head around and met Ron's eyes. 

Ron seemed surprised at the question, he probably thought Harry would ask about last year when they hadn't been talking, and Harry would, but he needed to know this first.

"Before Hogwarts I hadn't had any friends that weren't part of my family. I was really nervous about making friends, before Ginny and I just did everything together. As I was trying to find a place to sit I considered just sitting with Fred and George, but I really wanted to make a friend of my own, like they had Lee. Then I remembered the stories Mum used to tell, how she made best friends with a muggleborn girl who her mum had helped find the platform. And I thought about how mum had helped you, so when I saw you sitting alone I thought I would at least try. But as soon as I saw you I remembered Fred and George said you were Harry Potter, and I got really nervous so I said the first excuse for sitting with you that came to mind." Ron seemed nervous again, but he wasn't lying, Harry was certain of that.

Knowing his friend Harry suspected he had come up to him because he was Harry Potter, and because his mum had helped him, but Harry had to admit he probably would have been curious too if the situation had been reversed. The important thing was that Ron just wanted a friend.

Turning back to Hermione, Harry said, "Why didn't you tell us about the time-turner in third year?"

"Well, for most of the year we weren't speaking." She held up a hand and gave him a look daring him to interrupt when he opened his mouth. He wasn't stupid enough to talk after that. 

"More importantly I gave my word. I always keep my promises Harry. You know that. McGonagall made me promise I wouldn't tell anyone, even you, and yes she specified." 

Harry nodded, he did know Hermione always kept her word, it was one of the things he loved most about her, even if it had been used against him that time. 

Turning to Ron, Harry took a deep breath, this was the question he was afraid for, the question that could permanently turn him from his best friend.

"Ron, did you really believe I'd put my name in the Goblet last year?"

Ron swallowed hard., but met Harry's eyes. "No."

"Then why?" 

Ron didn't answer for several minutes, and the magic in the room seemed to thicken. Hermione actually let out a small whimper before Rom finally spoke.

"Harry...I...You know I love my parents, and I am beyond grateful for them. I know the way you grew up was hell compared to my childhood, but my parents aren't perfect. My dad is always gone, always working, he has to be to support us all you know, but even when he is home he is in the shed tinkering with things. I know he loves us, but I barely see him. And mum...well you know what she's like. Always comparing all of us. Except Ginny, but Ginny's the only girl and mum dotes on her, but me, I'm just the youngest boy. Bill is brilliant. I know you don't really know him so you don't understand, but Bill is a genius. Like an actual genius, he passed his Runes and Arithmancy OWLs and NEWTs with the highest ever recorded scores. He was offered a prime position at Gringotts, where it is damn hard to get in, and he's been all over the world doing work for them. He's their top curse breaker, and he's only in his twenties. Even when he was younger he was always the best, kinda like Hermione, but he's also cool. Always had the best friends, gets on well with everyone,"

"Are you saying I'm not cool Ronald Weasley," Hermione demanded. Both boys just looked at her, and she went slightly pink.

"Anyway," Ron went on, "Charlie, he's a natural at quidditch, a brilliant seeker, he was offered a place with England straight out of school, but he turned it down, and he's great with animals, always bringing strays home. And he did good in school too, not like Bill, but still really good. And he's even more social than Bill, everyone loves him. Then there's Percy. He's the worlds biggest prat, but--don't ever repeat this--but I kinda understand why. He felt like he always had to follow the rules, always be perfect to ever be anywhere as good as Bill and Charlie, and Mum lapped it up. Whenever he would act like that, she loved it. Fred and George are funny. They don't get very good grades, but I'm pretty sure that's on purpose. They are both wicked smart, not like Bill, but I'm pretty sure not even Hermione is like Bill really, I don't know anyone who is as purely smart as him. He cannot be creative to save his life, he hides it well, but everyone in the family knows that he really doesn't know how to think outside the box, everything about him is calculated. The twins though, I don't know anyone more creative. The things they make, I mean, you've seen them at it. Just because it's pranks doesn't mean it's not amazing. And Ginny, well like I said, Ginny is the baby of the family and the only girl. She could probably get away with murder. 

"And then there's me. By the time I came around Mum was tired. And she was always dealing with the twins who even when we were all really young were making messes. Then Ginny was born, she's only a year younger than me you know so I don't really remember life without her, and she got all mom's attention. Then I come to school and for the first time in my life I had friends. But these friends are both amazing. One of them is the second smartest person I've ever met, and she's brave and kind and stunning to boot. And the other is Harry bloody Potter. 

"And I know you hate the attention, I really do, but all I've ever wanted is attention. I know you get just as much bad as good, maybe more, but it's still attention, you're still noticed. And then there's me. I'm not stupid, not really, but I'm not smart either. I'm okay at quidditch, not bad, but not like Charlie, I'm nothing like Percy the prat, and I don't have even half the twins flare. 

"Then last year came. You know I would die for you, I stood in front of Sirius for you, and I would do it again in a heartbeat, but when your name came out of the Goblet, I just, I couldn't. I knew you didn't do it, anyone who actually looked at your face the moment your name came out would know you didn't do it. But you were in the tournament and you would get all the attention again. Not just press and attention from most people but the attention from my mom and from Hermione. And I just couldn't bear the thought of you getting all the attention again. It's stupid I know. But I knew Hermione would side with you, and I knew my parents would write to you and say how worried they were, and they would do everything they could to support you. 

"It's not that I didn't, don't, want you to have support, because I know with the Dursley's you need that, it's just everyone would focus on you again, and those I love most, those I look up to and want to see me for myself, be proud of me were focused on you again." Ron looked down at his hands.

"I know it makes me a terrible friend, especially after all you've done for me and my family, but for me it was a breaking point. How could I look at you every day and support you when you had everything I ever wanted? The twins weren't pranking you, instead they rallied around you, Ginny paid far more attention to you than she has to me in a long time. Hermione took your side, my parents letters were all about you and how mad they were about the tournament. It wasn't until I saw you face the dragon that I realized that even if you were getting everything I'd ever dreamed of it didn't change that you were in danger, and it didn't change that you were close to breaking from the pressure. I recognized the set of your shoulders. 

"I promised myself after you saved Ginny that I would always stand by you when you needed me, and I realized that in my jealousy I had broken my promise."

Ron looked back up at Harry, "I can't really ask for your forgiveness, because I don't deserve it, but I promise you this mate, it won't happen again."

Harry didn't know what to do. Every word Ron had spoken was the absolute truth, he could feel that much, in fact he was pretty sure that the magical aura in the room forced Ron to be truthful, because the way Ron was speaking was out of character for his best friend. It didn't change the betrayal though. Because it had been a betrayal. 

_ He realized he was being an idiot on his own,  _ part of Harry argued, but another part answered back that it was only because of the dragon. 

"I..." Harry said, "to be honest, I don't really know what to do with that Ron. The fact that you realized on your own is good, but you...you really hurt me. Look, I appreciate your promise but I... I want to be your friend, and I love you like a brother but if you ever betray me again I will destroy your mind and leave you drooling, do you understand?"

Ron looked troubled, not only by Harry's words but by the way his magic spiked and streamed around the room, but he looked Harry straight in the face and nodded. 


End file.
